inventor & businessman Peter A. Epp of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, 1889-1982

One of my grandmother Elizabeth Peters Martens' uncles, Peter A. Epp 1889-1982, had a hardware store in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. In the early 1930s, a Mr. Harms told Epp he was interested in developing an all-metal, hand-operated washing machine. After discussing the possibilities, Epp and Harms came up with a design and started manufacturing washing machines. They called their business Rosthern Manufacturing Company.

Epp not only manufactured "Ezework washers." He also promoted and sold them. Sometime in the 1940s, he wrote a mail-out stating, "Women told us that they wanted a lighter and smaller hand-operated machine because it would be much easier to operate. Also they said it should be priced very low so that more housewives could enjoy the privileges of the washing machine and be set free from the washboard." The mail-out continues, "Evidently we succeeded in making the desired machine, for since 1935, we have built and sold more than 10,000 of our first machine."

The Rosthern Manufacturing Company, called Rosco for short, invented and made many other products. These included a portable blacksmith drill, a garden weeder, a collapsible picnic table with benches, a popcorn machine, and a potato peeler.

One of Peter A. Epp's daughters was Elma 1917-1947. When Elizabeth Peters Martens' youngest child was born in 1935, she and her husband named her Alma after Elma Epp…and I'm named Elma after Alma.

Sources for the information about the Rosthern Manufacturing Company are the book OLD AND NEW FURROWS: THE STORY OF ROSTHERN, and the article "Washing machines built in Rosthern" by Rob Andrews in THE SASKATCHEWAN VALLEY NEWS, November 8, 1995. The photo accompanies the article.

accidental poet Mike Bonikowksy

Canadian "accidental poet" Mike Bonikowsky discusses art & faith amid chaos in this interview conducted by Ilana Reimer: https://tinyurl.com/y29fa4za

Prussian Mennonite leader Peter Epp 1725-1789

Peter Epp was born in 1725 in Petershagen in the Danzig area of Polish Prussia. [The city of Danzig is now Gdansk.] He later moved to Neunhuben and then into Danzig. At age 32 he was elected deacon by the Flemish Mennonite congregation of Danzig. A year later, he was elected minister.

In 1770 the Danzig City Council ordered all churches to hold a day of prayer in the hope that God would spare them hard times, war, and disease. Peter Epp preached a particularly good sermon that day, calling the congregation to repentance.

Polish Prussia had two main groups of Mennonites—Flemish and Friesian. For both groups, Low German was the language of everyday life. However, both groups had brought the Dutch language with them from Belgium and the Netherlands. Dutch was their language for preaching, Bible reading, and hymn-singing. As time went on, the government put pressure on them to switch to German. Peter Epp led this switch in the early 1770s. German became the language of church.

By the 1780s, the government was restricting Mennonites' right to buy land. As a result, some welcomed news that came in 1786. Russia was looking for immigrants to farm the grasslands of South Russia [now Ukraine]. By 1788, more than 200 Mennonite families had left for Russia. However, they had no official church leadership. They needed an elder to guide them. Peter Epp agreed to be that elder. He preached his farewell sermon August 2, 1789. Sadly, he became ill almost immediately and died in November.

Peter Epp didn't get to go to Russia, but several of his children did. They were devout and able individuals who helped provide leadership to newly arrived Mennonite settlers in South Russia's "sea of grass."

[The above is based on a paper presented by Adolf Ens at an Epp genealogical workshop in Winnipeg, June 1998.]

Dr. Robert and Elma Schemenauer Awards open for submissions

Good news in kind of a bleak time.

The Dr. Robert and Elma Schemenauer Awards are open for submissions. There are TWO CATEGORIES OF AWARDS

1. Writing with a Kamloops Theme

2. Writing Showing an Appreciation of Nature

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ENTER

Each award is issued annually to a member in good standing of the Interior Authors Group (IAG) based in Kamloops, BC. There is no fee to enter. If there's more than one author and/or contributor to a piece of writing, all must be IAG members. To join the IAG, please visit https://interiorauthorsgroup.wordpress.com/join/ . 

SUBMISSIONS MUST BE

- sent before midnight 21 March

- a short story, poem, article, essay, or other form of writing where an understanding and appreciation of the category's topic is clearly incorporated and expressed (either Kamloops-Themed or Nature-Themed).

E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS TO

fogquest [at symbol] shaw [dot] ca

​FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT https://elmams.wixsite.com/awards

writerly news for January 8, 2021

Polar Borealis Magazine is a free online magazine devoted to Canadian speculative fiction. They recently announced they'll be open to submissions of short stories and poems during February 2021. Here are detailed submission guidelines. http://polarborealis.ca/submission-guidelines/

Port Yonder Press / Eastern Iowa Review is open to submissions of manuscripts composed of lyric essays or prose poetry, 25-40 pages long. Info at http://www.portyonderpress.com/issue-13---winter.html

New Christian literary agency: https://rushtopress.org/7931-2/

How can you be a happy writer? John Matthew Fox's advice here. https://thejohnfox.com/2018/07/how-to-be-a-happy-writer/

From John Matthew Fox, lists of publishers for various kinds of writing, not only science fiction and fantasy, but also poetry, children's, literary, and more: https://thejohnfox.com/category/publishers/

LIVE is a Christian story paper for adults. They're open to submissions of various kinds of stories, non-fiction & fiction. For details go to the following website & scroll down to the heading WRITING FOR LIVE (TAKE-HOME QUARTERLY FOR ADULTS). cat=twritguidhttps://gospelpublishing.com/store/startcat.cfm?cat=twritguid

"Kaleidoscope magazine creatively focuses on the experiences of disability from the perspective of individuals, families, friends, caregivers, educators and healthcare professionals, among others." They invite submissions of fiction, personal essays and poetry that explore the experience of disability. They're also open to artwork created by persons with disabilities. Details at https://www.udsakron.org/kaleidoscope.../submit-article/